Foster youth advocate gives TedX talk
"My name is Tige Charity and I wake up to make a difference," Tige – pronounced Ty-ghee – asserted.
She's the founder of KITS, an acronym for Kids In The Spotlight, which targets foster youth and was offering her inaugural TedX Talk. It was entitled "Revolutionizing Foster Care Through Storytelling & Social Ventures."
Kids In The Spotlight is a non-profit that enables foster youth to recount their tales through filmmaking, with mentorship from the Hollywood industry.
At the TedX Inglewood Talk, she cited a disturbing statistic: "Here in America, there are nearly half a million kids in foster care." She states, "I'm here to tell you there are far too many kids in foster care who are shouldering the pain of their untold stories."
This month, the annual KITS Film Awards took place at Paramount Studios. The event screened ten short films in a film festival style, and awards were distributed afterwards, much akin to an Oscars for foster youth.
Tamesha Scott, a previous foster care youth who is now KITS staff, remarks on the credentials earned by the participating youth. "They are registered with the Writers Guild, and most are receiving their IMDb credits with their films."
To date, KITS has produced 110 short films focusing on and created by foster youth. The movie posters are proudly displayed at the KITS Production Studio with Purpose located in Van Nuys. The studio not only provides movie sets for rent but also offers job opportunities for those from the foster care system.
In the TedX Talk, Tige shares her transformative journey from a 16-year career as a litigation claims specialist to founding Kids in the Spotlight. She describes the nonprofit's objective as a means to empower "foster youth to reclaim their narratives through storytelling and filmmaking."
She identifies herself as a visionary and is "passionate about motivating, educating, and guiding a team of change agents who grasp the significance of teamwork, community, and giving back."
Side note: I was honored to present a KITS award to the CEO of CASA LA, who is a former foster youth herself, Charity Chandler-Cole.